After news today that Ice Cream Sandwich was just about ready to roll for the HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile, some where left wondering exactly what went wrong and why an update hasn’t been pushed out yet. Well, judging by some chatter on T-Mobile’s USA official Facebook page, the Android 4.0 update may have been delayed. According to T-Mobile’s posts, HTC sent T-Mobile the official ICS ROM for the device, but it didn’t pass T-Mobile’s quality checks, sending the update right back to HTC for further testing and fixes where the ball now remains in HTC’s court. Of course, the next step will be that HTC will patch everything up and send it back to T-Mobile, where they will test it again and if everything checks out, an over-the-air update can finally take place. (Whew). Here’s what a T-mobile rep said last Saturday via their Facebook page:

“HTC has delivered a ROM to us however it is still having issues the reason that other sensation types have the update without issue and ours did not come out that way is because every ROM must be adapted to the hardware of the device because we use a different radio than other providers and also have applications such as wifi calling it also has to be compatible with those. What the HTC rep told you is most likely correct because once a ROM is delivered we have 2 weeks to test it and then approve it or send it back they then have 4 weeks to fix the bugs and return it back to us, where we are exactly in that process I do not know but that is how a ROM is delivered to the customer.

The original ROM was not delivered to us in November, we started testing it just recently but I think it has been longer than 2 weeks so at this point HTC most likely has the ball.

You bought a phone and it has been announced that you are getting ICS you have every right to know what’s going on with it and when you can see these awesome features. I did go into a lot of detail about how a ROM gets to the end user (you guys) but that wasn’t to point fingers only so you would have a better understanding of why you don’t have it yet, the bottom line is the Sensation has T-Mobile’s and HTC’s name all over it and both companies want to make you proud to be a Sensation owner so we are working as fast as we can to deliver it but also want to make sure that it stands up to your expectations.”

While some will dismiss this as nothing more than a misinformed T-Mobile rep speaking out of line, from the amount of detail they divulged, it sounded like they more than knew their stuff. As you can see, there seems to have been a hiccup along the way and this is the reason you don’t have ICS on your device tonight. Just be patient and a solid, tested, bug-free update will be pushed out to you soon enough.

I have been running the factory HTC ICS Rom for weeks now. I have found a couple very minor bugs. Nothing any different from when phones first got gingerbread. I just switched to the sensation a few months ago from a nexus s. I must say, I thought I was over sence but now that I have ICS with sence 3.6 I love it. I wish it was sence 4.0 but 3.6 is a huge improvement either way. I was going to buy a galaxy nexus but I think I’m going to wait until the one s or x. I’m back on the HTC bandwagon.

Wow. I’ll never complain about your guys lack of a proof reader again after trying to read HTCs post…

http://twitter.com/gamercore Chris Chavez

:)

http://twitter.com/timmyjoe42 tim bennett

Jeebuz, some people write as if nobody will ever read it.

McLabia

Err t-mobiles

http://twitter.com/gamercore Chris Chavez

Looks like somebody needs a proof-reader O_o

Aaron soles

And that’s how the cookie crumbles.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2KXAO3OA5HBST3TSRKBMA5ITYI Brent T

Thanks Chris. There are a lot of Sensation users, and we were wondering when we would get the update! I know a lot of people are impatient, but Tmobile has always been good to us.

unbearablepleasures

And exactly how have they been “good to us”? I pay money to them, and I expect a service and product that is paid for.

http://twitter.com/gamercore Chris Chavez

You’re paying them money and you have no cell service?!?! :O

unbearablepleasures

LOL..oh Chris, funny man. Service, as in “service” the account. Part of servicing an account means timely updates for me. Google, manufacturers, and carriers are all letting us down in this department.

Mark Haynes

Read over your contract again and let me know if T-Mobile agreed to send you updates to your Android phone. I could be wrong, but I doubt that it is in there.

UMA_Fan

lol

unbearablepleasures

It has nothing to do with my contract, but it does have everything to do with competition.Manufacturers and carriers that provide timely updates have the competitive edge over those who would be as bold to possibly offer “it’s not in your contract” as a reason for not providing a timely update. Would you disagree with that Mark Haynes?

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2KXAO3OA5HBST3TSRKBMA5ITYI Brent T

You paid for the Sensation, when it was still on Andr.2.34, and they are about to release an update to 4.0. T-mobile did a QC on this update, and sent it back for some fixes. I don’t see anything bad about the service. You can go to Verizon, but a most of their phones aren’t on 4.0 either. What do you expect?

unbearablepleasures

I expect timely updates. Google, manufacturers, and carriers all need to work closer together to make this happen. It takes all 3 to make it happen.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2KXAO3OA5HBST3TSRKBMA5ITYI Brent T

I can totally feel your frustration with having to wait months for an update to hit your phone. Realistically, if you care about getting the latest updates, you have to get a Google Nexus branded device. The , Sensation was optimized to work on
Gingerbread, and now there is a ICS Rom out, but T-mobile and HTC just want to make sure that you’ll have a good experience using it without crashing (from playing videos, texting, to wi-fi calling…etc)

UMA_Fan

They delivered on the service and the product. You should never buy technology for what you hope it may do in the future. You buy it for what it does TODAY.

unbearablepleasures

Well actually I’ve never been the happiest with the the build of software on the phone, but it was the best out of the options I had at the time. The expectation in this competitive marketplace is that updates will be sent to fix or enhance the usability of the consumer device. Those who meet this expectation will flourish and capture market space, while those who can not meet that expectation will lose out.

Psychochild

I’ve had ice cream sandwich on my sensation for ever so doesn’t bother me but now that I have my galaxy note on straight talk I’m about to kick T-Mobile to the curb. Faster internet speeds everywhere I go

Andre’ MindYoBusiness

Straight Talk… what? Lol.

McLabia

An edit button on the app woud work fine.

aeok18109

i know its sense 3.6 im runnin bindroid now. i just wish they would bump us up to 4.0 – but id rather have CM9 over all. AOSP ftw

And it is going to get worse! If they ever get 700 figured out and I swear I read something about the possibility of 95?!?

http://twitter.com/gamercore Chris Chavez

Yup. 95 is being opened up. Linked to it in the Android Overload 2 nights ago…

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CYQUMMC7Z4UBLSHQAJGNJBKVPM JamesS

Ok, that’s why I couldn’t find a headline for it! :P Wow! And the cellphone manufacturers thought the American market was bad enough back in the EDGE days!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CYQUMMC7Z4UBLSHQAJGNJBKVPM JamesS

Translation: “It wasn’t bloated enough for us so we sent it back to have more bloat added.”

blest

As expected.

saynotopunx

I can not believe that so many people can not formulate a well-written sentence. As a T-Mobile Rep that has authorization to make public statements this idiot should really learn how to formulate a coherent thought properly.

Marc Selwan

My 2 cents:

Lets say Google never told us about Ice Cream Sandwich. Lets say the Galaxy Nexus would not have been launched yet. Then, Google could send 4.0 to the third parties to update their phones with in secret. Then when the manufacturers are ready to send out the updates, people wouldnt complain as much because it would feel like we waited “as long” as we did. It would have technically been a year since gingerbread updates started rolling out.

What people do not seem to realize is that when Google announces a new update, it’s usually a “preview” of whats to come later in the following year. This is different from Apple which tells you about the update the same day it goes out to their other phones. Apple could very well have a conference in the middle of november and announce “iOS6″ and not say when it will come out (like Google) and then randomly release in the following summer.

The point is, people who complain about the slow updates/manufactures are doing so for no reason. in fact, Samsung, HTC, Sony, Acer, and Asus are all updating to 4.0 faster than they ever have before with any other update.

What the carriers are doing, thats a whole different story though….

UMA_Fan

That’s true. I remember people complaining about the first Galaxy S Froyo update and people swearing up and down how Samsung is the worst and updates but 2.2 hit the T-Mobile version of the phone December of the same year it came out. The phone was release in July of that same year. That’s not that bad when you think about it.

http://twitter.com/gamercore Chris Chavez

Couldn’t agree more. This is what I’ve been trying to tell people for the longest time.

Typically, the reply I get is something along the lines of, “Well, then Google shouldn’t say anything until it’s ready to go.”

But for me, I like knowing the future. Heck, I wish Google would show us a bit of Jelly Bean right now. But I guess I’m just a curious monkey and others really aren’t. They don’t like to see something and not have it in their hands the next day.

UMA_Fan

People should just start developing the mentality of buying phones for what it can do at time of purchase. If you get a software update, that’s a neat perk it shouldn’t be an entitlement.

That being said, Wifi Calling is most definitely the reason of the delay of the update. When custom ROM switching on other T-Mobile phones stability of WiFi Calling goes out the window if the kernal is tweaked in the slightest.

Mike Reilly

Like some had speculated the Ice Cream Sandwich will be melted by time *OFFICIAL* ICS comes to Sensation

liveTexas

Funny how there are no Europeans complaining about updates. Sure, the ICS update has already begun its push for Sensations, but this isn’t the point. Americans, in general, feel ” entitled ” about so many things. Many have said ” be happy with what you have ” and this attitude is rare here in the States. However … When an update is Promised to be delivered by ” the end of the 1st quarter and it doesn’t happen … Well … THAT’S a different Story. I’m Not

David Gray

I just gotta say how excited I am that my T-Mobile Nexus S just got the OTA to 4.0.4. i mean I’ve been running ICS 4.0.3 even since I found the manual update online but just knowing that TMO is still sending me out the newest updates makes me happy. It’s not their fault if it takes forever, each carrier NEEDS to ensure that what they send out OTA is working or else ya’ll will be complaining about how your new update “runined your phone”. Just be happy with what you got or ROOT and stop complaining. BOO YA!

Larry Blackburn

Shit…what about the galaxy d24 for T-Mobile, I have been waiting just like everyone else.

http://completecomputerco.net Matt

This is why I absolutely love TMO and have for many years. When the OG iPhone came out, there was a telephone support department to help me with APN settings etc.

Long, loyal Magenta fan (and SO GLAD we weren’t assimilated) the difference between the two companies (ATTFAIL) Customer service is like night and day.

http://phandroid ced

Galaxy s 2 here I come. I’m getting rid of my sensation 4g!!!!

Pumpdrivrx

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE AMAZE 4G…I read the Sensation was delayed, But God #@*& people The AMAZE Tell About the F*$%ing Golf shoes